Metallic roof for railway-cars.



J. J. sounza.

METALLIC ROOF FOR RAILWAY CARS.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 20. 1915.

a SHEETS-SHEET 1.

1,215,213. Patented Feb. 6, 1917. A

I I/AV/I/AWL za r .2 "L 0 I azgi hIl- Zlwuwtoz l 7 dJSouder I. J. SOUDER.

METALLIC ROOF FOR RAILWAY CARS.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 20. 1915.

Patented Feb.. 6, 1917.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2 Jwmwtoa J Z50ader Gum/wag I J. J. SOUDER.

METALLIC ROOF FOR RAILWAY CARS.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 20. I915.

Patented Feb. 6

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3- JACOB J. SOUDER, OF WASHINGTON, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA.

METALLIcnooF ron RAILWAY-cans.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 6, 1917.

Application filed November 20, 1915. Serial No. 62,495.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known-that I, JACOB J. SoUonR, (whose post-oflice address is 1417 F street northwest,) a citizen of the United States,

residing at Washington, in the District of Columbia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Metallic Roofs for Railway-Cars; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

The invention relates to improvements in railway cars, and more particularly to the roof construction of the same, and to the means for securing the latter on the body of the former.

The primary object of the invention is to provide a simplified construction of the character mentioned, and one in which the 4 means, for securing the roof on the body of the car, admits of independent movement of the'former with respect to the latter, when the car is in motion, whereby the usual rolling and twisting movement of the latter is not transmitted to the former, as is the case in the present practice of rigidly securing the roof "to the body of a car.

Another object of the invention is to provide a sectional metallic roof for cars, or the like, in which the several sections of the same are applied without the use of nails,

screws, or solder, and which, after being assembled, may be independently removed, in case of damage, without necessitating the unfastening or removal of the major portion of the roof. 3 Y r A further object of the invention is to provide a car, and the roof carried thereby,

with means for preventing the transmittal of heat therethrough, whereby to practically eliminate the condensation of moisture, given off from grain or other perishable content of the car when subjected to such heat, as from the rays of the sun, on the interior thereof, such as has heretofore proved to be a source of trouble, expense and loss, the rusting of the metal parts of the car, the replacing of destroyed or otherwise ruined parts thereof, and themolding or otherwise destroying of the goods being transported.

With these and other objects in view, the invention resides in the certain new and novel construction and arrangement of parts, which will be hereinafter more fully described, set forth in the appended claims, and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which,

Figure 1 is a vertical transverse section of a car provided with the improved roof,

Fig.2 is a fragmentary longitudinal section showing the application of an end section orplate,

Fig. 3 is a perspective view showing the several parts of the invention in position for assembly,

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary plan view show-- ing the trusses positioned thereon, one of the trusses being shown in section,

Fig. 5 is a detail View of the truss securing device in position,

Fig. 6 is a perspective view of a pair of end roofing sections or plates, partly in section, v

Fig. 7 is a. fragmentary detail of the inner and outer members of a truss,

Fig. 8 is a fragmentary sectional detail showing the method of securing the running board supporting blocks in position,

Fig. 10 is a perspective view'of a pair of clips adapted for securing the running board supporting blocks in position on the roof,

Fig. 9 is a fragmentary transverse section through one of the car stringers showing the truss securing means positioned therein.

Reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which similar characters of reference designate corresponding parts on the several views thereof, the numeral 10 indicates a car body, of usual construction, including a belt rail 1'1 and upper plates or stringers 12', upon the latter ofwhic-h is to be secured'the roof and its supporting trusses.

The roof construction comprises a plurality of inverted V-shaped trusses, ar-

ranged in spacedrelation throughout the has its upper edge out in a manner to provide alternately and oppositely disposed tongues 17, normally overlyingthe flanges 15. After the inner member -16- has been properly positioned within the outer member 13, it is to be secured therein by means of rivets 18, passed through the two members as shown, or in any other suitable manner. The lower portions of the opposite ends of the trusses, thus formed, are cutaway, as at -l9, and are formed with openings -20, adjacent the cutaway portions, for the purpose to be hereinafter described.

For positioning and securing the trusses in spaced relation along the top of the car body 10, there is provided bolt members -21, each having a U-shaped head 22- adapted to loosely receive one end of a truss and provided wlth openings,

which, when alined with the opening 20,

also loosely receive a securing pin 2c-. Each of the upper side stringers -12, of the body 10, are provided ,with a series of alining mortises -2 c, forming seats for supporting the U-shaped heads 2Q, of the bolt members, the threaded shanks'25, of the latter, being projected downwardly through suitable openings, and secured therein by means of nuts +26. Immediately above the mortises Q4 are formed elongated mortises 27 adapted to lo! sely retain the securing pins. 23, after they are properly engaged in the openings of the trusses and the heads of the bolt members. Medially of the ends of the mortises 24 and 27, and opening through the inner face of the stringers 12, are formed slots 28- which loosely receive the shorter or cutaway portions of the trusses, so that the flanges -15 cutaway portions 19 rest upon the upper face of the stringers -12, and flush therewith by reason of mortises 29 being formed in the stringers for the purpose.

Having thus positioned the several trusses, the roof plates or sections are now to be assembled thereon. The oppositely disposed end plates or sections -30- and 31 are each, respectively, made to be fitted on at the right and left hand sides of the latter, projecting beyond the the adjacent wall of the inner supporting member 16 of the truss. The lower edge of each intermediate plate or section 36 is formed to provide a bead 37, corresponding to the beads 32 and -33 of the end plates or sections 30- and 31, and which, at one side or end thereof terminates in a projecting portion 38' adapted to project around the adja cent end of a truss member and under-lie the adjacent plate or section. The side edges of the intermediate plates or sections -36- are bent upward to provide flanges 39, which, when the plates or sections are positioned between the trusses, abut the adjacent wall of the inner supporting members 16 between the tongues 17 and the flanges 15. The abutting ends of the intermediate plates or sections 36 are each provided with upwardly projecting flanges 10, the purpose of which. as well as that of the corresponding flanges 3l of the end plates or sections 30 and 31, will be hereinafter described.

After the plates or sections have been a sembled, as before described, transverse capchannels 4I1, formed of sheet metal and bent substantially U-shaped and having their side edges bent inwardly of the side walls thereof to provide flanges 4.2, are threaded on the tongues 17, one for each oppositely inclined portion of a truss, until they are fully positioned thereon. The plates or sections are now secured in position by bending the cap-channels -41-, and the tongues 17- engaged thereby, inward against the opposite sides of the inner supporting member 16, of the trusses. The roof is now completed by forcing over the abutting'flanges -34 and 40, of the end and intermediate roof plates or sections 30', -31-, and .-36-, respectively, a

' cap-channel or clip 4l3, which is of sheet metal bent in suitable form to snugly engage over the said flanges;

To prevent excessive heat, as from the rays of the sun, affecting the content of a car, it is desired that the interior walls 14, of the body 10-, above the belt rail -11, be lined or otherwise coated with a heat resisting material, such as asbestos or the like, also, that each end plate or sec tion -80, 31, and intermediate plate or section 36, of the roof, be similarly lined or coated with asbestos, as at 45, such coating or lining extending over the entire surface of the plates or sections, except that portion forming the beaded edge thereof. It is, however, particularly desired that the lining extend over the contacting surfaces of the abutting flanges 34 and -4:0, for preventing the transmittal of heat from one section to the other, as well as providing for a slight resiliency'to the joint therebetween. g

It is desirable that the roof, thus provided, be assembled on the body of the car after to the putting on of the sheathing or outer walls thereof, so as to permit the beads 32-, 33- and 37, which overhang the stringers 12 as before mentioned, to abut the outer faces of the latter, for the purpose of having the upper ends or edges of the sheathing contact the under face of the beads, as at t6-, which arrangement allows for an air and weather-proof joint therebetween. A molding 47- may be broken around the upper edge of the sheathing, also in contact with the under face of the beads.

In the application of a roof of this type to a freight car, it is necessary that a running board, extending longitudinally there. of, be provided, and for this purpose wooden blocks 48, grooved, as at -49 and -50, to engage over the transverse and longitudinally extending seams of the roof, are positioned at the juncture therebetween, and held firmly in such position by means of metallic clips 51. These clips 51- are substantially U-shaped in cross-section with the lower flange 52 inclined to conform to the pitch of the roof, and in the positioning and securing of the clips, the latter, prior to the bending downward of the transverse cap-channels -41- and the tongues 17, engaged thereby, is placed in abutting relation with respect to the roof section flanges 35-, 39, as shown, so that the flange 52 is firmly secured when the cap-channels 41 are forced into locked position. The upper flanges 53, of the clips 51, engage the top face of the blocks 48 and are secured thereto by means of nails or screws, or in any other suitable manner, and are further secured'in position by the running-boards --54: resting thereon, as shown in Fig. 1.

From the foregoing, it is to be noted, that the roof, thus constructed, is without solder, nails or'screws being used to render it watertight, or to secure it in position, that undue straining or distorting of the roof, as has heretofore obtained when a car is in motion, is eliminated by reason of the loose connections interposed between the same and the body'of the car, which means, at the same time, holds the roof in air and water-tight relation with respect to the body, that the sections or plates of the roof are interchangeable, and any section may be removed or replaced without the removal of the roof, or interfering with its adjacent section, and

' that the use of an inner lining on the roof sections'or plates, and on the upper walls of the interior of the body, eliminates the destructive effect of heat, heretofore common in the known ear structures.

gagement with the roofing sections for sea 'curing the latter rigidly in position.

2. As a new article of manufacture, a carline for supporting roofing sections formed of sheet metalvbent to provide a substantially U -shaped channel portion, flanges formed at opposite sides of said channel portion and of a length to project beyond the planes of the opposite ends of the latter, a fastening means of sheet metal secured in said channel and co-extensive with said flanges, and means formed with said fastening means and adapted to be bent into engagement with the roofing sections for securing the latter rigidly in position.

3. As a new article of manufacture, a carline for supporting roofing sections formed of sheet metal and bent to provide a substantially U -shaped channel portion, flanges formed at opposite sides of said channel portion and of a length to project beyond the planes of the opposite ends of the latter, a strip of sheet metal secured in said channel and co-extensive with said flanges and eX-,

tending upward therefrom, and alternate oppositely disposed flange sections formed at the upper edge of said strip and adapted to be bent into engagement with the roofing sections for securing the latter rigidly in position.

4. A railway car comprising a body, a roof, of unitary construction, mounted for movement vertically of said body, vertically disposed U-headed bolt-members carried at opposite sides of said body, and means engaged in the U-heads of said bolt-members for loosely connecting the roof thereto.

5. A railway car comprising a body, car- ,lines spaced transversely of the body, sectional roofing elements carriedby the carlines and secured thereto, bolt-members carried at opposite sides of the body, U-shaped heads formed with said bolt-members and adapted to loosely receive the opposite ends of the carlines, and .a loosely fitting means connecting the carline ends with the U- shaped heads of the bolt-members, whereby the carlines, and the roofing elements carried thereby, have independent movement with respect to the body under normal running conditions.

6. A railway car comprising a body, a roof, of unitary construction, mounted for movement and vertically of said body, vertically dlsposed U-headed bolt members se cured within recesses formed in the top edges of the opposite sides of said body, and pins engaged in the U-heads of said bolt members "or loosely connecting the roof thereto, and retained in their engaged position by the surrounding walls of said recesses.

7. A railway car comprising a body having spaced recesses opening through the top edges of the opposite sides thereof, a roof, of unitary construction, mounted for movement vertically of said body, elements secured in said body and projecting into said recesses, and means loosely connecting said root to said elements, said means being retained in engaged position by the walls of said re cesses.

8. A railway car comprising a body having spaced recesses opening through the top edges of the opposite sides thereof, a roof, of unitary construction, mounted for movement vertically of said body, U-headed bolts secured in the bottom wall of said recesses, and means ei'lgaged in the U-heads of said bolt members for loosely connecting said roof in position, said means being retained in engaged position by the walls of said recesses.

9. A railway car comprising a body having spaced recesses formed in the top edges of the opposite sides thereof, carlines spaced transversely of said body and overlying said recesses, sectional roofing elements carried by said carlines and secured thereto, bolt members secured in the bottom wall of said recesses, U-shaped heads formed with said bolt members and adapted to loosely receive the opposite ends of said carlines, and loosely fitting means connecting said carlines with said -U-shaped heads of the bolt member,

whereby the carlines and the roofing elements carried thereby, have independent movement with respect to the body under normal running conditions.

10. In combination, a railway car body having spaced recesses formed in the top edges thereof, carlines 'spaced transversely of said body, roofing sections secured to said carlines, depending portions formed with said carlines and projecting into said recesses, elements rigidly secured in said recesses, and means connecting said depending portions of said carlines with said elements, said means admitting of a limited vertical movement to said carlines and the roofing elements carried thereby.

11. In combination, a railway car body having spaced recesses formed in the top edges thereof, carlines spaced transversely of said body, roofing sections rigidly secured to said carlines, depending portions formed with said carlines and projecting into said recesses, elements rigidly secured in said recesses and engaging the projected ends of said depending portions of said carlines, and means connecting said elements and said depending portions, said means admitting ot' a limited vertical movement to said carlines and the roofing elements carried thereby.

In testimony whereof I atfix my signature.

JACOB J. SOUDER. 

